Various promotional products have been used by all manner of different companies for a long time. The reason for this is that these items are aimed at increasing brand awareness among their target market of clients, aiming to drive business growth, build client relationships and make more sales.

Although this is a long term strategy and an indirect method of marketing, it is still considered very effective. As a result, there is a consistent drive to come up with a great promotional item that will make an impact on the target market and outshine the competition.

In the light of new promotional products such as customised boxes of chocolates, golf balls and tea bags, do conventional promotional products such as pens still work? Or are people more likely to be won over by a more creative and innovative design?

The one thing to note about any promotional merchandising is that it is a tried and tested method that works, whatever the product. People enjoy receiving free gifts, and this gives the company that is distributing them a good image despite what they may be. Whether it is a practical item or a gimmicky one, both types will be remembered and appreciated by the person who is receiving them.

With that said, there is a strong argument for more practical items such as promotional pens. One of the reasons for this is that these items are likely to stick around a great deal longer than novelty items. This can be extremely beneficial when building brand awareness as your logo and company name will be seen time and time again by customers.

There is also another advantage of items such as promotional pens, as these products are likely to come in handy and actually prove very useful for the person who has received them. Pens are something that everyone needs to have on hand - whether at home or in the office - so a branded item such as this is sure to be kept around until it runs out.

This can be compared with another useful and practical item, the branded USB stick. Again, this can come in very handy, and is likely to be used often and be greatly appreciated. There are some downsides to this product however, and these are that it will be used less frequently than a pen and will not be used by all people, like those who work without computers or rarely use theirs at home.

Promotional pens, on the other hand, can be said to be useful to every person in a huge variety of different situations, whether it is a doctor writing a prescription in his or her office, a customer signing a cheque or a housewife at home writing a shopping list.

Another advantage of practical products - and promotional pens and pencils in particular - is that they are generally very inexpensive to produce and are not wasteful of resources. Whereas many people might question the need for distributing fridge magnets or branded t-shirts, a pen is a simple, useful product that serves a genuine purpose.

This can look good in the eyes of a customer, who can perceive that a company is not wasting its budget on producing redundant items, instead investing in delivering something simple yet useful to its clients. It is important, therefore, to consider what someone will think of your company when you distribute a certain item.

As to whether promotional pens work on not, the answer is generally yes - these items are not only useful, but they are also guaranteed to stick around for a long time and be well-perceived by clients, enhancing your brand image. If you are willing to give promotional merchandising a try, pens are definitely a simple but effective way to do it.